The visa is deported and canceled: they may be denied entry to the United States due to friends' posts on social networks

On the US border, cases of refusals to enter the country due to publications on social networks have become more frequent, foreign media report. At the same time, in order to see a “red light” in front of you when crossing the border, writing posts yourself is not necessary - just have unreliable friends.

Фото: Depositphotos

Travelers trying to enter the United States are increasingly being denied at the border due to posts, images and videos on social networks posted by their friends, reports Газета.ру with reference to TechCrunch.

Border guards at the entrance check the social networks of someone who is trying to get into the States, and then cancel the visa for online publications.

At the same time, the traveler, by a strange coincidence, is responsible not only for his profile, but also for the accounts of his relatives and friends.

One of those who was not allowed into the United States was the 17-year-old Palestinian living in Lebanon. He entered Harvard and came to the States to start the school year, but he was unexpectedly denied entry.

On the subject: New visa control rules: why do US immigration agents need fictitious social media pages

At first, immigration officers at Boston Airport interrogated the young man, asking him questions about his religion. Then the officers began to check the teenager’s mobile phone and laptop. In the end, they did not like some statement by one of the Palestinian friends, to whom he had nothing to do.

As a result, the young man never got to Harvard - he was deported with a visa cancellation.

As TechCrunch emphasizes, the U.S. border is a kind of anomalous zone where the law is completely in the hands of immigration officials who decide on their own whether or not to let a person into the country. However, often they do not even explain the reason for the refusal, because of which there is no opportunity to appeal this decision.

In addition, the immigration service has the right to check the mobile phones of everyone who enters the country, including American citizens. Many call this right contrary to the Constitution of the country, but such a practice does exist. Last year, the US Customs and Border Guard inspected 30 thousand travel devices, which is four times more than four years ago.

One of the leaders of the human rights organization American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Ebed Ayub, claims that the search for gadgets and the subsequent denial of entry has already become a norm on the US border.

“We know that this often happens with Muslim students coming to the United States,” Ayub said. According to him, the immigration service has the right to check the gadgets of any person, but they have a special relationship with the "Muslim community."

The most common reason for canceling a visa is content from the WhatsApp messenger, which is a popular application in the Middle East. At the same time, the application automatically saves photos and videos that the user receives in correspondence - thus, they may not be allowed to enter the United States due to an extremist picture sent to him by someone else.

Another victim of the search for gadgets was 38-year-old Dahil (name changed). He received a B1 / B2 visa, allowing him to periodically visit the United States to visit relatives. At Houston, Texas, Dahil realized that something had gone wrong.

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At first, immigration officers asked him why he was visiting Saudi Arabia. He replied that he was a Muslim and had to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in his life. After that, they began to ask him questions about work, travel and plans in the USA.

Dahil said that he came to visit relatives and plans to return home, where he has work and livelihoods. However, the officers were not convinced, and they decided to inspect his smartphone. As a result, a photograph of a murdered child dated 2009 was discovered in the album. According to TechCrunch, this snapshot can be easily found on search engines by the name of a minor killer. Dahil received this photo in one of the group chats, after which it was automatically saved on the device. Thus, the correspondent wanted to warn other parents about the abductions of children in Dakhil's home country.

After interrogation, which lasted 15 hours, Dakhil was denied entry to the United States. In addition, he was told that his five-year visa, as well as his family's visas, would be canceled.

“They treated mine like a criminal. Spoiled my life, ”said Dahil.

The US Customs and Border Guard refused to comment on specific cases, but provided a general statement stating its right to refuse entry if it seemed to the officer that a traveler’s visit to America was “unacceptable.”

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